At LAX Wednesday, Mayor Villaraigosa and LAX officials unveiled new aircraft gates in the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT). The gates feature laser-based docking technology and computerized boarding bridges to accomodate larger aircraft like the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus 380. This is passenger waiting area of new terminal. Photo by Brad Graverson 3-6-13

Los Angeles International Airport will open a key piece of its new $1.9 billion international terminal on Sept. 18, considerably behind the initial estimated completion date.

Scheduled to open are nine new gates, several of which can accommodate the double-decker Airbus A380, and a new 150,000-square-foot Great Hall, filed with shopping and dining options and named for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who championed the project.

“The airlines are very, very excited about the new terminal,” airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said. “It is such a significant improvement in the customer service level that they can now offer their passengers.”

The opening celebration is scheduled for noon, but the Tom Bradley International Terminal will be operational starting in the early morning, Castles said. For a long time, the facility — which airport officials say is part of the most expansive public works project in the city’s history — had been scheduled to open on Dec. 12, 2012. In January 2012, officials told the Daily Breeze they were changing the estimate to the first quarter of 2013.

But, later, officials said they encountered unforeseen construction problems and changed the estimate to the summer of 2013. They will make that goal by three days.

Airport officials said nearly 4,000 construction workers have worked on the facility in the past five years. Crews will now focus on Phase 2, which requires workers to tear down pieces of the existing terminal, while integrating the new building with parts of the old one. Eventually, the new terminal will have 18 gates and be connected to Terminals 3 and 4, which is not the case with the existing Bradley terminal.

Phase 2 is scheduled for completion in early 2015, airport officials said.

Though next week marks only the completion of Phase 1, travelers will notice major changes. The shopping options for international travelers constitute a considerable upgrade, with many stores selling luxury goods from brands like Prada, Bvlgari and Gucci. Also upgraded are the food concessions, which will include LAMill Coffee, Umami Burger and Border Grill.

Castles said that most, though not all, of the concessions will be open on Sept. 18.

Not scheduled to open, however, are three new airline lounges — one for each major worldwide alliance, SkyTeam, Star Alliance and Oneworld. Those will open soon, Castles said. In the meantime, she said, business and first-class passengers will use the lounges in the old building.

“At least one airline lounge will open within about a week after we start operations,” Castles said. “But in the meantime, they still have their existing lounges in the existing terminal.”